Elegantly written novel, which tells about a young man who can not forgive his newly found father, because he left him and his mother. But after many living trials in many ways teach them both, they realize that there are other more important priorities and forces. A pleasant, easy-to-read, and thought-out essay.
Chapter 1 MR. KINGSTON BROOKS, POLITICAL AGENT
Already the sweepers were busy in the deserted hall, and the lights burned low. Of the great audience who had filled the place only half-an-hour ago not one remained. The echoes of their tumultuous cheering seemed still to linger amongst the rafters, the dust which their feet had raised hung about in a little cloud. But the long rows of benches were empty, the sweepers moved ghostlike amongst the shadows, and an old woman was throwing tealeaves here and there about the platform. In the committee-room behind a little group of men were busy with their leave-takings.
The candidate, a tall, somewhat burly man, with hard, shrewd face and loosely knit figure, was shaking hands with every one. His tone and manner savoured still of the rostrum.
"Good-night, sir! Good-night, Mr. Bullsom! A most excellent introduction, yours, sir! You made my task positively easy. Good-night, Mr. Brooks. A capital meeting, and everything very well arranged. Personally I feel very much obliged to you, sir. If you carry everything through as smoothly as this affair to-night, I can see that we shall lose nothing by poor Morrison's breakdown. Good-night, gentlemen, to all of you. We will meet at the club at eleven o'clock to-morrow morning. Eleven o'clock precisely, if you please."
The candidate went out to his carriage, and the others followed in twos and threes. A young man, pale, with nervous mouth, strongly-marked features and clear dark eyes, looked up from a sheaf of letters which he was busy sorting.
"Don't wait for me, Mr. Bullsom," he said. "Reynolds will let me out, and I had better run through these letters before I leave."
Mr. Bullsom was emphatic to the verge of gruffness.
"You'll do nothing of the sort," he declared. "I tell you what it is, Brooks. We're not going to let you knock yourself up. You're tackling this job in rare style. I can tell you that Henslow is delighted."
"I'm much obliged to you for saying so, Mr. Bullsom," the young man answered. "Of course the work is strange to me, but it is very interesting, and I don't mean to make a mess of it."
"There is only one chance of your doing that," Mr. Bullsom rejoined, "and that is if you overwork yourself. You need a bit of looking after. You've got a rare head on your shoulders, and I'm proud to think that I was the one to bring your name before the committee. But I'm jolly well certain of one thing. You've done all the work a man ought to do in one day. Now listen to me. Here's my carriage waiting, and you're going straight home with me to have a bite and a glass of wine. We can't afford to lose our second agent, and I can see what's the matter with you. You're as pale as a ghost, and no wonder. You've been at it all day and never a break."
The young man called Brooks had not the energy to frame a refusal, which he knew would be resented. He took down his overcoat, and stuffed the letters into his pocket.
"You're very good," he said. "I'll come up for an hour with pleasure."
They passed out together into the street, and Mr. Bullsom opened the door of his carriage.
"In with you, young man," he exclaimed. "Home, George!"
Kingston Brooks leaned back amongst the cushions with a little sigh of relief.
"This is very restful," he remarked. "We have certainly had a very busy day. The inside of electioneering may be disenchanting, but it's jolly hard work."
Mr. Bullsom sat with clasped hands in front of him resting upon that slight protuberance which denoted the advent of a stomach. He had thrown away the cigar which he had lit in the committee-room. Mrs. Bullsom did not approve of smoking in the covered wagonette, which she frequently honoured with her presence.
"There's nothing in the world worth having that hasn't to be worked for, my boy," he declared, good-humoredly.
"By other people!" Brooks remarked, smiling.
"That's as it may be," Mr. Bullsom admitted. "To my mind that's where the art of the thing comes in. Any fool can work, but it takes a shrewd man to keep a lot of others working hard for him while he pockets the oof himself."
"I suppose," the younger man remarked, thoughtfully, "that you would consider Mr. Henslow a shrewd man?"
"Shrewd! Oh, Henslow's shrewd enough. There's no question about that!"
"And honest?"
Mr. Bullsom hesitated. He drew his hand down his stubbly grey beard.
"Honest! Oh, yes, he's honest! You've no fault to find with him, eh?"
"None whatever," Brooks hastened to say. "You see," he continued more slowly, "I have never been really behind the scenes in this sort of thing before, and Henslow has such a very earnest manner in speaking. He talked to the working men last night as though his one desire in life was to further the different radical schemes which we have on the programme. Why, the tears were actually in his eyes when he spoke of the Old Age Pension Bill. He told them over and over again that the passing of that Bill was the one object of his political career. Then, you know, there was the luncheon to-day-and I fancied that he was a little flippant about the labour vote. It was perhaps only his way of speaking."
Mr. Bullsom smiled and rubbed the carriage window with the cuff of his coat. He was very hungry.
"Oh, well, a politician has to trim a little, you know," he remarked. "Votes he must have, and Henslow has a very good idea how to get them. Here we are, thank goodness." The carriage had turned up a short drive, and deposited them before the door of a highly ornate villa. Mr. Bullsom led the way indoors, and himself took charge of his guest's coat and hat. Then he opened the door of the drawing-room.
"Mrs. Bullsom and the girls," he remarked, urbanely, "will be delighted to see you. Come in!"
Chapter 1 MR. KINGSTON BROOKS, POLITICAL AGENT
30/11/2017
Chapter 2 THE BULLSOM FAMILY AT HOME
30/11/2017
Chapter 3 KINGSTON BROOKS HAS A VISITOR
30/11/2017
Chapter 4 A QUESTION FOR THE COUNTRY
30/11/2017
Chapter 5 THE MARQUIS OF ARRANMORE
30/11/2017
Chapter 6 THE MAN WHO WENT TO HELL
30/11/2017
Chapter 7 A THOUSAND POUNDS
30/11/2017
Chapter 8 KINGSTON BROOKS MAKES INQUIRIES
30/11/2017
Chapter 9 HENSLOW SPEAKS OUT
30/11/2017
Chapter 10 A TEMPTING OFFER
30/11/2017
Chapter 11 WHO THE DEVIL IS BROOKS
30/11/2017
Chapter 12 MR. BULLSOM GIVES A DINNER-PARTY
30/11/2017
Chapter 13 CHARITY THE CRIME
30/11/2017
Chapter 14 AN AWKWARD QUESTION
30/11/2017
Chapter 15 A SUPPER-PARTY AT THE QUEEN'S
30/11/2017
Chapter 16 UNCLE AND NIECE
30/11/2017
Chapter 17 FIFTEEN YEARS IN HELL
30/11/2017
Chapter 18 MARY SCOTT PAYS AN UNEXPECTED CALL
30/11/2017
Chapter 19 THE MARQUIS MEPHISTOPHELES
30/11/2017
Chapter 20 LORD ARRANMORE'S AMUSEMENTS
30/11/2017
Chapter 21 THE HECKLING OF HENSLOW
30/11/2017
Chapter 22 MARY SCOTT'S TWO VISITORS
30/11/2017
Chapter 23 A MARQUIS ON MATRIMONY
30/11/2017
Chapter 24 BROOKS ENLISTS A RECRUIT
30/11/2017
Chapter 25 KINGSTON BROOKS, PHILANTHROPIST
30/11/2017
Chapter 26 BROOKS AND HIS MISSIONS
30/11/2017
Chapter 27 MR. BULLSOM IS STAGGERED
30/11/2017
Chapter 28 GHOSTS
30/11/2017
Chapter 29 AN ARISTOCRATIC RECRUIT
30/11/2017
Chapter 30 MR. LAVILETTE INTERFERES
30/11/2017
Chapter 31 THE SINGULAR BEHAVIOUR OF MARY SCOTT
30/11/2017
Chapter 32 LORD ARRANMORE IN A NEW ROLE
30/11/2017
Chapter 33 LADY SYBIL LENDS A HAND
30/11/2017
Chapter 34 THE RESERVATION OF MARY SCOTT
30/11/2017
Chapter 35 FATHER AND SON
30/11/2017
Chapter 36 THE ADVICE OF MR. BULLSOM
30/11/2017
Chapter 37 A QUESTION AND AN ANSWER
30/11/2017
Chapter 38 LADY SYBIL SAYS YES
30/11/2017
Chapter 39 BROOKS HEARS THE NEWS
30/11/2017
Chapter 40 THE PRINCE OF SINNERS SPEAKS OUT
30/11/2017
Other books by E. Phillips Oppenheim
More